Script Haven, on High Street, will launch a one-day Dickens festival to celebrate its connection with the esteemed author and social critic Charles Dickens.
The author had visited the building in 1858 before its bookshop days when it was the Swan Hotel.
The festival will honour Dicken’s birthday by hosting readings, prize competitions, authors, talks, and a Victorian afternoon tea.
Leena Batchelor and Rhianna Levi underneath the Charles Dickens plaque in Worcester. (Image: Script Haven) Owner Leena Batchelor said: “Many people only consider Dickens as the author of popular fiction or someone they were coerced into studying at school, yet he was far more than that.
“He highlighted many issues in Victorian society which others chose to ignore, challenging laws he felt unjust and using his stories as a way to encourage change.”
The festival will take place the day after Dicken’s birthday on Saturday, February 7.
A plaque marking Dickens’ visit was installed on July 24, 2024, after the shop and the author were connected by chance.
Script Haven’s Leena Batchelor celebrates her bookshop receiving a blue plaque in honour of Charles Dickens’ visit. (Image: Leena Batchelor) With the help of The Hive, Worcester City Council and others, Script Haven found definitive proof Dickens stayed at the hotel turned bookshop.
Proof of the Great Expectations writer’s trip to Worcester included a letter Dickens wrote to fellow novelist Wilkie Collins from the Swan Hotel.
At the time, Ms Batchelor said: “I am delighted to be able to celebrate this significant feature for Worcester.
“Many thanks to Chris Garner, former head at St Mary’s, for telling us about this link.
“We will now be celebrating each February with a Dickens Festival.”
She added she had no idea of the link between the building she now trades in and Dickens but felt honoured to be able to help continue his legacy.
Script Haven was ranked as the third-best independent bookshop in the UK by The Times in 2024.